Why I love Google Play

You’ll see from previous posts of mine that I have a fascination with the way that we consume content online, as we look for increasingly efficient and time-saving ways to consume our favourite content online, as well as discovering new content. That’s why I was excited by the launch of Google Play last week.

The way in which you are served content in Play is obviously similar to Stumbleupon , serving you up new sites based on your previous interests and other sites that you’ve ‘liked’. It is a lot more streamlined though, as you don’t have to leave Play in order to receive new content, it serves it to you within the same screen, easily scrolling through visually appealing content. You don’t need an account with Google to use Play, but if you do, it will carry over information based on your previously ‘liked’ content, as well as that of people you follow. If you do use Google Reader, you can view any of your subscribed feeds in play, which provides an altogether more visually pleasing way to consume the content you like.

Now I’m not suggesting that Google Play is now ‘the’ way to view your feeds, nor do I think that’s what Google intend it to be. There is an option to view your subscriptions through Play, if you want. I see it as serving a different purpose however, providing a way to discover new content and quickly scroll through to find new sources of information or entertainment. In a nod to the ipad, it’s also been developed to be ‘tablet PC’ friendly.

I don’t just see this as a pretty way to consume content. I think it’s more than that. It provides a solution to our ‘content overload’ problem. It allows you to discover new sites easily, but without being encouraged to subscribe and return again and again, adding to the problem even further. That’s why I don’t see it as an alternative to Google Reader, which is the home for the sites you repeatedly visit and establish a longer-term relationship with. Play provides that quick fix and the more you play with it, the more you get out of it. You can also clearly see the appeal of browsing the internet in this way, with your most recently visited tabs along the bottom, allowing you to easily switch between tabs and add new ‘favourites’. It would provide an altogether more efficient way to browse online and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see this as an option through Chrome, eventually